This shot clearly shows how the dump gates are operated. The workers insert a steel bar into one of 3 or 4 openings on the side of the gate which give them the leverage needed to open it in a certain direction. The workers can in this way also control how quickly the ballast dumps from the gate. When there is a jam, one worker will apply force with his steel bar while another will bluntly ram the side of the gate with his.

October 1999